13 rabbits rescued from Barrie ditch seek new homes

More than a dozen rabbits are safe and sound after being found in a ditch this past weekend and are now a few hops away from being ready to find their forever homes.

The animals were discovered in the forested area of McKay Road just east of County Road 27 in Barrie.

Rick Foley, former president of the Alliston and District Humane Society (ADHS), was driving in the area at the time and noticed the commotion.

"I saw two elderly people stopped on the side of the road that looked like they were needing some help," recalled Foley. "They pointed to the rabbits and said there were quite a few rabbits in the ditch."

• Download the CTV News app free to get local alerts on your device 
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

Foley immediately drew upon his decades-worth of experience rescuing animals and loaded the rabbits into the back of his truck, making multiple trips to the site.

"I kept going back up probably an additional six more times," said Foley, convinced that the rabbits had been abandoned. "They had all white fur. No indication of any kind of dirt or grass stains or dirt stains. So they were pretty clean white rabbits, which is a strict indicator that they were just dumped recently."

In total, Foley rescued 13 rabbits. One was an adult male, while the other 12 were believed to have been from a five-week-old litter and an eight-week-old litter.

Tania Perrier from the ADHS has been looking after the rabbits since they were rescued. She agreed to take them into her shed in the backyard of her Adjala-Tosorontio home because the shelter was at capacity.

"My first reaction was anger at the people that have dumped these animals because they would have not survived," said Perrier. "But also happy that we were able to save them and accommodate them."

Perrier named the litters 'Baker's Dozen,' with the adult male dubbed 'Baker,' and the remaining dozen named after baking items.

"We have Baker, Soufflé, Chump, Chunk, Frost, Chip," listed Perrier.

ADHS staff say they're seeing more pets be abandoned because of the rising costs of caring for them.

"Some people can't afford to feed their animals, and people got animals that maybe they shouldn't have or don't know how to handle," said Jane Clarke, president of ADHS. "They are abandoning them everywhere."

Police confirmed to CTV News that animal cruelty could result in fines up to $10,000 or imprisonment of up to five years.

The good news for 'Baker's Dozen' is that the vet declared each rabbit disease-free on Thursday, and there is expected to be room for them at the shelter by Thursday night.

Once they are at the shelter they will be up for adoption or fostering, putting ADHS at 30-plus bunnies currently available for adoption.

'Baker's Dozen' will still need to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated; the younger ones will be eligible once they reach eight weeks old.